How to Become a Residential Locksmith Specialist

As a residential locksmith, your mission is to provide neighborhood locksmith and safe services.

These include lock, safe, and security device installation, as well as maintenance and repair of equipment.

Your duties involve working directly with homeowners and home insurance agents.

Learn more about what is required to become a residential locksmith as you work toward training and licensing in this occupation.

Steps to Become a Residential Locksmith

Step 1–Study Locksmithing and Safe Repair

To get hired as a residential locksmith, begin with professional training.

This is available at many trade schools, leading to a diploma, and some technician programs result in a certificate.

Either way, choose an accredited training program that leads to residential locksmith training.

This type of locksmithing and safe repair differs from other locksmithing courses.

Those cover auto and mobile locksmithing, or industrial locksmith skills.

Make sure to study residential locksmithing, which includes lock, safe, and security system installation and repairs.

This will prepare you for a lifetime of working as a residential locksmith.

Step 2–Become an Apprentice Residential Locksmith

Select a program for training as a locksmith that includes apprenticeship opportunities.

You need to be able to complete an apprenticeship in residential locksmithing specifically.

This provides you with the necessary training needed to handle this area of locksmith services.

In order to be licensed and to get jobs, you are expected to be an apprentice or intern for a period of time.

This proves you have hands-on experience and in-person training with an expert and are vetted for the industry.

Step 3–Get Your First Customer or Job as a Residential Locksmith

A residential locksmith customer owns their own home and lives in a residential neighborhood.

These areas are the suburbs and rural communities that are spread out.

Therefore, you will need to drive to your customers at their homes in order to find work and complete jobs.

This involves having a steady mode of transportation and the ability to navigate.

Customer service skills are also important for this area of work as a residential locksmith.

You will also need the right tools and equipment, including technology and software, to provide a full-scale locksmith and safe repair.

This includes billing and invoicing, as well as managing payment methods on-site.

Generally, residential locksmiths work from a central office that handles this type of work, or they are on their own in the field to do it for themselves.

Licensing Requirements to Become a Residential Locksmith

Licensing requirements for residential locksmiths are handled by individual states.

Most US states require apprentices in locksmithing to be at least 16 years old.

However, you need to be 18 before you can apply for a license as a locksmith in most states when required.

A state labor department provides business licensing for locksmiths, including those working with residential customers.

Check with your state labor department to determine if there are separate fees and applications for you if you are applying as a residential locksmith.

Online Training Programs

Do you want to train online to be a residential locksmith?

There are some schools and colleges that have 100 percent online training for locksmiths.

This is where you will learn about the tools and techniques, such as master key cutting, key duplication, and security systems.

Consider these online schools that train residential locksmiths from home in any state in the US.

You could even study while traveling abroad thanks to these locksmith training programs on the internet.

Save time and money by getting certified as a locksmith without even leaving your home.

Then gain access to local businesses and locksmiths near you that will hire you for an apprenticeship.

While you work as an apprentice, you will pick up any additional skills you need to carry out professional locksmithing services for residential customers.

Penn Foster

Penn Foster is a leading provider of online training for a variety of career types.

This includes locksmithing, and you can enroll in the Locksmith and Home Security Technician Program.

This is a training program that is $800 for tuition.

Students graduate with a diploma and are ready to pursue licensing requirements.

Ashworth College

At Ashworth College, students can earn a diploma in locksmithing.

The tuition is the same price as Penn Foster–$800.

The curriculum covers all of the major aspects of residential locksmithing.

This includes locks and key mastering, home security wiring, and CCTV/recording/detection systems.

Salary

As a residential locksmith who runs your own business, you stand to gain more control over your salary.

However, most locksmiths for residential customers work for a company.

This provides a more steady stream of customers and marketing for individual locksmiths who work on a contract or are paid a salary.

This salary is $50,810 a year on average.

This is based on the national average from the BLS.